Second official full length from the absolute neanderthal purveyors of Brutal Death Metal, and possibly the most complete and tightest work they ever did. The dance is opened by the classic, creepy, intro excerpt from - "When a Stranger Calls" (an American classic Horror by Fred Walton, 1979), the same movie which was also featured in the previous - "Hacked up for Barbecue" - (remember the scuffled voice at the phone?). Let's cut this short: Mortician are an absolute certainty for every Gore Death Splatter freak who lives in the Death Metal scene, they're simply incredible. For the very few who are in for a description, their vocals are absolutely the lowest, the bass and guitars are so down tuned they pull out a frying sound out of your speakers, the drum machine (which is a factor somebody finds hard to swallow but to me is absolutely OK) blasts through the songs with a speed unknown to human ear, good luck to Roger to play songs like these... as routine, the tracks are preceded by short samples taken from Horror/Splatter flicks, although the main concept of the Cd is naturally one in particular, the cult "Texas Chainsaw Massacre" serie. For those who looks for originality (yawn) in a Mortician Cd I don't reccomend to buy this one as well, but if you, like me, need some references, some solid point who never betrays your lust, then every Mortician release is a must, like a friend of mine claims, they're the absolute kings of gore... when they are on stage, they sit upon the throne and rule. Opinion which to an extent I can agree, if you exclude Impetigo from the challenge. Anyway their songs are not thorougly blasting, as sometimes they slow down abruptly and start a painful, slow grinding mosh who only Catasexual Urge Motivation (now Vampiric Motives) can hope to share. Slow... pounding... like a hammer that blows a crushed body to a pulp... "Island of the Dead" (which is also the title for a B-movie flick with Malcom McDowell about a swarm of cannibal flies, but also an AKA for Fulci's Zombie 2) - is a fitting example of such inescapable doom laden tunes... always keep in mind their unearthly low tuning... to complete the family picture, the artwork is always signed by the genius of Wes Benscoter, on the theme of the aforemementioned movie... the lyrics are damn essential, straight to the point, 8 or 10 lines maximum, which again spouse their philosophy of basic, barbaric brutality. Desmond Tolhurst, who later left the band as well, fills the guitar duties this time.

 

Tracks (28): 1 - Intro 2 - Fleshripper 3 - Drowned In Your Own Blood 4 - Mass Mutilation 5 - Mauled Beyond Recognition 6 - Rabid 7 - Bloodshed 8 - Decayed 9 - Final Bloodbath 10 - Island Of The Dead 11 - Brutalized 12 - Slaughtered 13 - The Crazies 14 - Silent Night, Bloody Night 15 - Chainsaw Dismemberment 16 - Psychotic Rage 17 - Funeral Feast 18 - Wolfen 19 - Dark Sanity 20 - Camp Blood 21 - Tormented 22 - Slaughterhouse (Part II) 23 - Barbarian 24 - Rats 25 - Mater Tenebrarum 26 - Splattered 27 - Obliteration 28 - Lord Of The Dead (Mortician Part II)